Edge

I stood at the edge of Glacier Grey in Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile, awed, my heart pounding from sheer beauty, tear streaks on my cheeks. The immensity, the greatness of the landscape was overbearing. I felt rooted, ancient, an adventurer, then modern and awkward, like a victim of an ah-hah moment, in which everyone knew the answer but me.  I breathed in the sharp icy air. My feet pulsed. My soul stilled, humbled by insignificance.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/multimedia/grey_glacier.html

My kids left with my new National Geographic before I had a chance to read it. They had asked, excited, because of an article that described an ongoing conversation in our household; the 'genetics' of risk taking.  The article reads, "If an urge to explore rises in us innately, perhaps its foundation lies within our genome. In fact there is a mutation that pops up frequently in such discussions: a variant of a gene called DRD4, which helps control dopamine, a chemical brain messenger important in learning and reward. Researchers have repeatedly tied the variant, known as DRD4-7R and carried by roughly 20 percent of all humans, to curiosity and restlessness. Dozens of human studies have found that 7R makes people more likely to take risks; explore new places, ideas, foods, relationships, drugs, or sexual opportunities; and generally embrace movement, change, and adventure. Studies in animals simulating 7R’s actions suggest it increases their taste for both movement and novelty."
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/01/restless-genes/dobbs-text
Cool. A sound reason for my adventure and restlessness. Great genes to have passed on to my kids, right? I am sure this is parenting payback time.